Publisher LucasArts' Producer answers questions about eagerly awaited game in development by Sony.

By IGN Staff

A Star Wars Galaxies interview spotted earlier today solicits LucasArts Producer Haden Blackman's thoughts on a number of topics including the gameplay elements that will set it apart:

At the moment, developing MMOs is largely an iterative process. We've tried to improve upon the things that worked in past MMOs, and either ditched or (hopefully) fixed what didn't work. I do think that there are areas where we will be set apart, though, and perhaps setting new bars. Ranged combat is the focus of combat in Star Wars Galaxies, which is new and different for MMOs in general. Previously, you basically just had bows and arrows, but the focus was still melee combat; all of our characters are armed with blasters, which are rapid fire, ranged weapons. It changes the whole dynamic of combat, especially combat with creatures. In general, combat feels really dynamic because people are moving constantly, which is different than the "stand and smash your enemy" approach in other MMOs.

I also feel that Star Wars Galaxies will be set apart by its accessibility. We know that there are many Star Wars fans who will be drawn to Star Wars Galaxies, but who haven't played an MMO before. Getting into the game and finding something to do is really easy. There are areas like crafting that will appeal to the hardcore players, but areas like combat are easy to grasp.

A few of the other topics are how the team feels about the attention the game has received, why LucasArts chose Sony to develop it, and what races and professions seem to be most popular. - Jonric